GARY’S GOSSIP: ‘It is a privilege to pull the first team shirt on’

Picture by Lea Houlihan

Published:16:02Sunday 06 April 2014

The thoughts of Bridlington Town manager Gary Allanson after yesterday’s 3-1 defeat at Basford United

Credit to all the players involved, they have performed heroically. We pulled together and gave it our best shot. The players and staff showed a great attitude and worked hard for each other which in the circumstances was fantastic to see, but players should never be put in a position to be asked to play when injured and make them injuries worse.

These players have to go to work and earn a living and can’t afford to have time off, this league is putting ourselves and the players in this predicament and it is totally wrong

But I, as the Manager of Bridlington Town, should never be in a position to beg players to play for the first team. Oon Saturday morning we had eight fit players, I was asking, begging players who are injured to play or even just sit on the bench, massive credit to them players for doing this for the club.

The Reserves have had an opportunity to play for the first team in this period and, not to go into details, couldn’t make it. I made four phone calls last weekend to Mark Griffin, Shaun Day, Jamie Barnwell and Martin Thacker and they couldn’t wait to play for the club.

Players must want to play for this club and first team is the priority. If players just want a game of football they can move on somewhere else and not use our club for just a game of football. They should do everything possible to play for the first team and should find it a privilege to pull that first team shirt on.